Top tips for your time in Cannes

Your first time at MIPIM can be a bit daunting: with over 20,000 keen property professionals and hundreds of events going on, how can you quickly orientate yourself, get involved and get something out of it?

Many delegates have also been gathering in Cannes for some time, ourselves included, so here are some of the tips we’ve picked up over the years – some of which might be useful to even the most experienced attendees as well.

Personal elevator pitch

It is good to know in advance what you want to say about yourself when you meet new people. Keep it to 30 seconds or less, focus on what might be interesting to others and remember that it’s a personal introduction not a sales pitch.

You’ll introduce yourself and what you do many times at MIPIM and likewise other delegates will have met plenty of other people, so it needs to be fresh and ideally memorable. Not least to make sure you’re happy to deliver it again and again each day.

Also touch base with your company’s marketing and comms team – there may be particular information or messages that would be useful to share (and brownie points for doing so).

Set targets

Making sure there’s time to go with the flow is important but structure is important tool. Setting yourself achievable goals such as meeting three new contacts from a target sector a day, for example, is a good way to keep focus. And while sticking with people you know is a useful early strategy, most people at MIPIM are really receptive to meeting new contacts so if stepping up to someone new doesn’t already come naturally, force yourself. You’ll soon think nothing of it.

Scheduling

Have a look at the MIPIM programme in advance and plan the sessions you would like to attend. When you get to Cannes it is easy to get swept away and attend events that others are going to. Looking at the schedule with your goals in mind now will help you to pick out events that you can profit from and will also give you the opportunity to meet new people.

A few practical tips

Order your delegate pass now by post so that there’s one less thing to worry about when you arrive. Alternatively, if you run out of time you can also pick it up on your way through the airport to free up time when you get to Cannes itself, as the queues at the Palais can be enormous.

Be prepared to get stuck in the moment you arrive, or even before on the plane or train down. It’s a good idea to take lots of business cards (about 250-300), and keep some in your hand luggage.

The bus is an easy way to get to town from the airport and you’re more likely to make new contacts than in a taxi.

If in doubt head to Café Roma or the London, Manchester or other regional stand.

Look out for other posts coming up – what to wear and what to pack in particular.

And whether MIPIM excites or terrifies you, we hope these tips help to give you a head start before you touch down.